I often work with my clients to give up some of these highly-problematic and inflammatory foods for a period of time as we work to get them healthier and feeling better. It's not that all of these foods are bad all of the time, but removing them for a period of time can allow your body to drop excess pounds, clear out inflammation, and heal a leaky gut.
I want to start by talking about alcohol. Full disclosure: I drink alcohol. Not often, and it's not unusual for me to purposely give it up for 30 days at a time to unload and extra burdens on my liver, but don't be shocked if you see a cocktail on my Instagram feed, ok? Especially during baseball season, lol!
Quick recap of why you might consider giving up alcohol for a period of time to improve your health:
1) Alcohol is empty calories. If you are trying to lose weight, reduce inflammation, build lean muscle, detox from sugar, improve your energy, or whatever your health goal is, you need to be focusing on nutrient-dense food.
2) Alcohol is AGING. Sad face! Us ladies spend a lot of money on fancy face creams to prevent pre-mature aging without realizing that alcohol is exasperating the aging process.
3) Alcohol is taxing on your liver. The moment you take a sip of alcohol your liver has to switch gears to metabolize that alcohol. Your liver has a LOT of important functions, and if you are trying to lose weight and improve your health you need your liver focusing full-time on doing its job and not screeching to a halt every night when you pour yourself a glass of wine.
So now for some of my favorite alcohol substitutions:
KOMBUCHA: Kombucha is fermented tea. It's a great source of gut-friendly probiotics and can be nice to sip on in place of a cocktail. You can buy lots of different flavors if you're looking to mimic your favorite cocktail.
LA CROIX: La Croix is flavored, sparkling water. It comes in a lot of different flavors so you get the fun of a bubbly drink without any extra sugar or crazy ingredients. This is also a great choice if you're trying to transition from a soda habit! You can add a few drops of liquid stevia and a squeeze of fresh lime juice in your La Croix as well for a delicious treat.
SPARKLING WATER: Sparkling water with a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime is the most budget friendly option for a cocktail sub. You also get the bonus of fresh, bioavailable vitamin C!
NATURAL CALM: This is a much healthier way to battle stress after a long day. Natural Calm is a magnesium supplement and magnesium is a very calming mineral. It has a Crystal Light type of taste but is sweetened with stevia (nutritionist approved sweetener!). Start with 1/2 a teaspoon mixed in a glass full of warm water. If you gravitate towards an evening cocktail because you need to help coming down from a crazy day, try Natural Calm!
When my husband and I make drinks at home, these are some of our favs:
Norcal Margarita: This is the healthiest version of a margarita you can find!
ACE Hard Cider: We buy these hard ciders locally at Trader Joe's or Sprouts. Check the ingredient label for sugar because they can vary quite a bit! I like the pineapple because it's only 9 grams of sugar per serving.
Hard Kombucha: If I’m going to have a drink, 9/10 times it’s going to be a hard kombucha. Flying Embers is my favorite brand. Their drinks are organic and have 0 grams of sugar and 0 grams of carbs. Because they are made with black tea, I try to drink these earlier in the day so it doesn’t impact my sleep.
Thrive Market Organic Wines: To be honest, wine doesn’t sit that well with me. I usually don’t sleep well at night and wind up with a headache the mornings after. However, I never experience those symptoms when I have organic wine from Thrive Market! Their wines are made without the use of pesticides, added sugars, or sulfites. When we have an occasion where I want to drink wine, this is what I have.
I hope this helps give you some ideas for how to replace alcohol without missing out on the party, and ways you can upgrade when you do choose to drink.
